>> this is bbc world news america. i m.j. and o'brien. britain recognizes the main opposition group as the governing authority, but will it break the stalemate? still on alert in norway, the suffering from last week's attacks continue to grip the country as the government promises an investigation. and counting down to the olympics, with just one year to go. london is busy getting ready. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. after months of nato bombing and

continuing combat on the ground, the international effort to remove moammar gaddafi from power got another boost today. britain declared but another governing authority and expel the remaining diplomats from london. this follows the move by the u.s. and paves the way to unfreezing millions in dollars. but will it make a difference on the ground? john simpson reports. >> 6:00 in the morning in the mountains. spies have warned of a buildup of pro gaddafi forces nearby, but these are not trained soldiers. they are just a bunch of volunteers. hours pass, and the gaddafi troops do not attack. the rebels were lax. they hope it is a false alarm. 11:00 a.m., but now, it is too hot for fighting.

suddenly go, a lookout spots a column of enemy vehicles heading this way. there is going to be a battle after all. you can hear it. just sheltering beside this building. out there, the gaddafi people are shooting in our direction. bullets flying overhead from time to time. quite low. and this is one of the rebel positions. they're going to start firing off. going to head up. keith rohlinger period rohlinger. -- keep rolling. keep rolling.

>> i spoke just a brief time ago with the deputy foreign minister of the colonel gaddafi. i started by asking his reaction to the british decision. >> it is illegal, an irresponsible move by the government. it breaks international mawker -- law. when we come to doing something, we should be very careful, because this will set a new thing with international law, which is very dangerous. >> but even if you question this, politically, the fact is you are becoming more and more isolated by the international community. >> there are 192 member nations of the united nations, and there are 10 or 15 countries that can recognize a group of rebels.

that does not mean that they have legitimacy. and, of course, we were hoping to keep britain and the united states on our side, as well as france and other european countries. we were also hoping to rebuild our partnership with them, but at the end of the day, they are sovereign countries and entitled to do whatever they want, but we still appeal to them and hope they have a second thought and change their decision. they know that by siding with the rebels, they are doing harm to the libyan people, and at the end of the day come i consider their action by helping their funding and arming the rebels -- >> the deputy foreign minister of colonel gaddafi speaking there. marc ginsberg, the former u.s. ambassador to morocco joins us. thank you very much for joining us. you heard a complete dismissal there from the gaddafi regime,

but what is the british decision to recognize the transitional council? what impact is that likely to have on the ground, more broadly, in libya? >> that is the most important question, because in the final analysis, what is missing from breaking the stalemate is military equipment as well as support logistics to provide support for the rebels. i just for the other day from one of the friends of mine who is communicating with the rebels, they want a baby diapers. they do not have the basics to provide to many of their soldiers out in the field, and so while a lot of the money is going to be unfrozen is small in comparison to what the british have actually frozen, it is still important money. two, it puts further pressure on the rest of the european union to join in on this recognition. france and great britain along with the united states is not enough. to really turn this into a

village in the government, it requires other members of the eu and other members to recognize the transitional council -- to really turn this into an illegitimate government. >> so the transitional government can have access to money? >> absolutely. it comes down to money. the transitional authority is desperately in need of money to buy arms and supplies that they need. if the united states' -- the united states' recognition helps to unfreeze some of those assets, as well. there are some subject, i am sure, to some sort of litigation. >> the coalition is more confident about who they are dealing with in terms of the rebels? >> absolutely. they have in pew did much more confidence in this, but there is also something on the flip side going on. just the other day, both france

and great britain have signaled that they were willing to let the fox stake in the henhouse. in other words, that gaddafi could stay in libya. i think this recognition was tiring to take some of the sting out of the admission of not being able to accomplish the goal of getting gaddafi to leave without the rebels into the net themselves, and, unfortunately, it does not look like that is going to happen. >> thank you for joining us. >> sure. >> in norway, the prime minister has said that they will counter the attacks with more democracy. he said norway would not be intimidated by friday's mass killings and that a commission would be set up to determine how the events transpired. meanwhile, police are continuing to search for people missing after the fight on utoeya island. >> where he made his bomb and planned his massacre, the norwegian army get ready to

destroy the remaining explosives he left behind. but this is where the vast bulk of his, explosives and did last friday in oslo. the subject and the situation in utoeya island will now be the subject of an enquiry. >> there are many reasons for having this commission. i want to have a complete overview and a map of exactly what happens, and i think it is important for the families that this is complete -- and a map of exactly what happened. was there a time when you thought you were not going to survive? >> yes. >> you can close, did you not? >> yes. >> are you through the worst, or is the worst still to come? >> the worst will be to know all of the names of the people who were dead, and i think it will be hard to go to the funerals and meet the families, and i think it will be hard to one day

wake up and realize that we have to get back to life, but to work, and get back to normal. >> this person was lucky. she left the island of two hours before the shooting. she wants to stressor pride in the multicultural as some of norway and a tolerance that he wanted to destroy. >> my story tells a lot of opportunities norway gives to all youngsters. including muslims, because in how many countries, can you be the daughter of immigrants and become a parliamentarians at the age of 28? norway is the land of opportunities for people of all sorts of backgrounds. >> in oslo, the buildings scarred by the bombing are starting to be patched up, but the collective shock in norway is still profound. the physical damage here in oslo will take months to repair. the government is warning that some buildings will have to be

demolished, but, of course, it is the human, psychological damage that is of most concern. it is precisely their strong, shared values that will get them through the next difficult days and weeks. bbc news, oslo. >> welcome back here in washington, the countdown continues with just six days left before the country must lift the debt ceiling or risk default, but despite nearing the deadline and the dow jones industrials falling today, the political wrangling continues. for more on where things stand, i spoke with democratic senator barbara boxer just a brief time ago. senator, thank you for joining us. two plants on their way through the house and the senate. can either of them actually pass congress? >> well, i think harry reid's plan is the compromise that everybody wants. it gives republicans what they want, which is no revenues and

cuts, and it helps the democrats, because we are not cutting medicare. we are not cutting social security. so it is really a compromise, and it gets us out of this chaotic mess we are in because we cut enough spending to take us all of the way to last as to the election, so it sends a calming message to the market. that is the real compromise, the reid plan. >> the republicans say they will not pass it. where does that leave us? >> they do not have to bring everyone. moderate republicans and moderate democrats, and i think it will pass, saying that it will not pass i guess is john boehner admitting he cannot be an effective speaker, and i have served in the house for 10 years, and i have seen things pass with both parties, and that is what has to happen now. we have to set aside the labels of democrat and republican and

the american first. we should not be taking pledges to grover norquist or and a right-wing ideologue. we should be pledging allegiance to the united states of america. >> never my needing to do what you should do, can you? is the will to compromise actually there? do you think that this can pass before next week? >> well, i think if he set aside what we need to do and what we have to do, then we do not deserve to be -- i think if we set aside what we need to do. this is a republican-made crisis. people have to understand that. we have raised the debt ceiling 89 times, 89 times, in the history of our country, 55 times under republican presidents, the most under president ronald reagan, up 200%. 18 times. this is a republican-made, i would say, crisis. we need to take what the

republicans want and what the democrats want and put it together. that is what harry reid has done. i do believe, having worked in the senate for a long time now, just got elected to my fourth term, that we can attract some republican votes to this. >> so you're confident that this vote goes through, because the uncertainty according to financial leaders is what is doing the economy real hard now -- real harm now. what do you think of that? >> of course, we cannot have uncertainty, and that is why the john boehner plan is so impossible to support because it is an four to five-month deal, and we are back in the suit, constant uncertainty, constant chaos, constant politics -- we are back in the soup. in the middle of a presidential campaign, which is what i think they want, whereas the harry reid plan takes what the republicans wanted and what the democrats wanted and puts it in a plan, and i do think that sensible heads will prevail.

i do think we will have to make some tweaks, some changes coming here and there, but i think that is the basic plan we need to look at. >> senator barbara boxer, thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> in other news, a suicide bomber, with explosives disguised in his turban has killed the mayor of the city of kandahar. he was meeting leaders at his tribal office when he was killed. the taliban said they carried out the attack. in somalia, an operation to airlift supplies into the capital mogadishu is underway, the first of 10 missions being carried out by the world food program in response to the severe drought which is ravaging the horn of africa. our correspondent reports. >> the carter, 10 tons of food for a severely nourished children in somalia -- the cargo. the therapeutic paste is a

lifesaver. it is a race against time. >> within the next few days, i believe some of this will be going to mogadishu, where it will be distributed at feeding centers too malnourished children there. >> the world food program says the first airlift will feed 350,000 children over the next month, but given the scale in somalia, this is just a drop in the ocean -- will feed 3500. aid agencies say that with so many children in a precarious situation, there is a danger disease could break out. in somalia, almost half the population urgently needs of food aid. rations have been cut in recent months. now, there is a massive drive to

increase the assistance. some say the u.n. is being too slow with the delivery of food. several are trying to access to areas held by the islamic insurgent group al shabab. the severe drought and food shortage were predicted late last year. .-- late last year, so some are wondering why this was not prevented. war and hunger are driving more than 1000 somali to the overcrowded refugee camps. the arduous journey takes its toll on the weak. one was laid to rest in the camp today. bbc news, nairobi. >> you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come on tonight's program, exposed to nuclear

tests decades ago. now, some british veterans are taking their fight for compensation to the u.k.'s highest court. south korea has suffered its heaviest rain in a century, with at least 32 people killed, including 10 college students who were doing volunteer work. the rain caused mudslides in various parts of the country. hundreds of people are now homeless after their neighborhoods were destroyed after a deluge of mud and rain. many had to cling to their have submerged vehicles for safety. we have this report. >> before first light in the mountains east of seoul, korea, it was hard to pick out the people. rescuers brought them out. the injured and the dead. many of them students, said to

be doing volunteer work here on their summer holiday. they had been sleeping when their homes and cabins shattered around them under the force of a powerful landslide. survivors talked about wading in the mud to be rescued. >> i was asleep at the time when i heard a big bang sound, and then the roof collapsed. >> i suddenly heard a strange sound, like a large train explosion sound, so i walked outside, and i heard someone screaming for help and saudi cabin being swept away. >> they are calling it the worst rain in this century. hundreds of house is flooded. more dead, more missing, and roads are impassable, except with the help of rescue teams and rove's. this has taken many people by surprise.

40 centimeters of rain in just one day, and another 25 centimeters to come. linzy williamson, bbc news, seoul, korea. -- lucie williamson. >> tomorrow in london, more than 1000 british veterans who were exposed to nuclear testing in the 1950's and lost their case for damages will be hoping the supreme court will give them permission to appeal. the elderly veterans believe there ill health is due to their exposure during the tests, but the ministry of defence has contested their claims since 2004. caroline reports. >> not until 10 seconds after the blast make anyone look. so intense is this man made sun that people 10 miles away with their backs turned and hands over their eyes are aware of its fantastic brilliance.

>> 5 bomb tests. basically, we had no protection, no warnings, nothing at all. all we were told to do was to stand and look at the bomb and cover our eyes up in case we got blinded by the flash. it was just unbelievable. some crunched down and started crying. >> he was a 19-year-old soldier when he witnessed nuclear tests in the pacific. by the age of 21, he was an invalid aunt suffered constant milhouse. the mod as often denied the link. this has led them to fight this out through the cords. >> there is acceptance by every country in the world other than the u.k. that exposure to the levels of radiation to which we were exposed is likely to cause damage. >> one woman has also been

fighting for answers and an apology from the government. her late husband was an raf pilot, flying through a cloud with the nuclear bomb exploded in order to test it. >> he was told he had far too much radiation to participate in any further tests, and he would have to be sent home. his vomiting started that night, and he vomited for five days. .the impact when he first arrived -- to ride home was his personality change, and 18 years later, after four attempts, he committed suicide -- the impact 21st arrived home was his personality change. -- when he first arrived home.

>> i just thought that the veterans and ultimately the children and grandchildren -- i just hope that they will get justice. that is all we are looking for, is justice. >> britain's nuclear veterans are dying at a rate of about three every month, but those who remain say they're determined to continue this battle. caroline, bbc news. >> well, in just one year from now, the world will be watching as the london olympics officially gets underway. for any host country, their chance to strut their stuff in front of the world, and in 2012, the same. our reporter went to see the olympics get under way. >> and so, it began. one of the most ambitious and complicated construction projects this country has ever seen, with a deadline set in

stone. for anyone who has traveled past this site in the last few years, the main sign of progress has been this, the olympic stadium. however, there are many other venues and facilities right across this site, which will be just as important for successful games. for around 17,000 competitors and officials, this will be home for two weeks during 2012. this is the london olympic village. it is not quite finished, but here to show us around is a man who knows just what it is like to stay at the village. >> i think it is a fantastic environment for the athletes. >> what do athletes want from an olympic village? >> they want a place where they can relax, not feel too pressurized, you know, good food, a good bed to sleep in, a feeling that something is of good quality, a place really to

prepare for the most important day of your life. >> thousands of young people across the world, pumped up for the olympics. it stays at the olympics. >> something like that. at the olympics, they train hard, they compete are, and they play hard. >> british viewers will become very familiar with some venues during the games. there is a good chance one team will pick up medals here. in other venues, that is less likely, but there is hope there will be long term benefits for britain. well, this a venue was actually completed ahead of schedule earlier this year. when the games are over, it will become a multi-purpose support center, and that is what all of these seats on the lower left can actually be folded

away. it will help to make this building much more flexible in the years to come. but not everything here is permanent. this is the largest temporary structure ever built for an olympics. there must have been some problems. there must have been some challenges which were pretty difficult to overcome. >> i think the biggest challenge we had was the financial crisis, which met the private-sector money we were going to pay for some things did not come through, and so, we had to use some of our contingency money and some of our savings. >> the building work continues, but it is on schedule. many doubted that would happen, and the finish line is in sight. >> well, that brings us to the end of the show. i am jane o'brien. for all of us at "bbc world news america," thanks for watching. and we will see you back here tomorrow.

>> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. b >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major

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